Selective vending machine for stacked articles



March 1927.

W. C. CUTLER SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE FVOR STACKED ARTICLES Filed Sept.16, 1925 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. CUTLER, 0F GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, -ASSIGI\TOR TO ISABELLA IM.CUTLER,

OF GLENDALE, CALIFOREIA.

Application filed September The present invention relates to machinesfor selectively vending articles and has for its principal object theprovision of a simple and fully selective coin controlled vendingmachine. 7

It will be understood in the consideration of this invention that ademand exists for a Vending machine which will hold a Wide variety ofstacks of articles so that a single machine, for instance, may hold andvend a plurality of each of such articles as boxed sandwiches, packagesof cigarettes of different brands, and other goods which differ in widthand length but which are of ap proximately the same thickness. It istherefore another object of this inventionto provide a machine adaptedto contain and vend articles from a plurality of stacks.

7 Another object of the invention is to provide simple selecting anddispensingmeans adapted for use in conjunction with nonstacked articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selective vendingmachine embodying a revoluble article holding magazine, and a singledispensing means to which any select-ed article is movable, said machineembodying simplified means for centering and locking the magazine Whilean article is being removed. I a V i i Stillother objects and advantagesof my invention will appear hereinafter.

I1 haveillustrated my invention by the accompanying drawings in whichI'have il-' lustrated. one practical embodiment of my invention, bywayof example, it being understood that numerous other embodiments of thisinvention will suggest themselves to the minds of those skilled in theart after reading: the ensuing description of the embodimentillustrated. I

In the said drawings, Figure 1' is a face view of the said embodiment.Figure Qis a View, on larger scale, taken in vertical sec tion along aline 2'2,'Figure 1. v

. Figure 3 is a viewin vertical section ofthe upper part of the machineshown in Fig 1.

Figure 4 is a view in section seen on a line Figure 5 is a fragmentaryview in front elevation of the extreme upper central part of themachine. r

In. carrying out my invention in the em,- bodiment' illustrated,I'employ a circular revoluble magazineincluding an outer annular 1c,1925. Serial No. 56,709.

wall 10 from which spokes 11 extend inwardly to a sleeve 12. The machineincludes a vertical frame 13 carrying a horizontal stub shaft 14 onwhich the sleeve and magazine are revoluble. Front and back casing'walls15 and 16 respectively, of substantially circular outline, are provided,which co-actwith a circumferential encompassing wall 17 to enclose themagazine and frame. To the annular wall 10 there are secured a pluralityof inwardly opening radially arranged article holders 18, eachadapted tocontain a plurality of articles 19 stacked in superimposed relationship.The inner circumferential ends of the holders are open as at 20.

The front wall of the casing carries an annular guard or guide wall 21which acts as a fixed boundary for the otherwise open ends of thearticle holders. It will be apparent now that the articles contained inthe holders, will periodically turn, as the magazine is revolved, fromupright to inverted position. are above the center of the machine willtend to throw their weight on the guard: wall and will rideslidablythereon; The articles in the holders which are below the centerwill The articles in the holders which be supported by thecircumferential casing wall and will ride slidably thereon. In otherwords, the inner annular wall and: the outer casing wall provide anannular course thru which the articles may be moved in. sliding contactwith either one wall or the other.

The article holders differin size. Holders such as 18 will containnarrower articles than the holder 18 for example. Thus a few articles ofeach of many varieties may be carried and sold by the machine.

Externally of the casing there is provided a selecting handle 22 whichis secured to a shaft 22 'which passes thru-the front wall into thecasing. Said shaft carries a pulley 23, and the magazine carries apulley 24 of larger diameter. A belt 25 causes the small pulley to drivethe largepulley at a reduced speedand thereby the selecting handle maybe operated externally of the machine torevolve the magazine slowly todispose any article holder in any desired position within the casing.One of the annular guide walls, in this case the inner'wall, isprovided, in this embodiment, with a cut-away portion 27 locateddirectly; above the center of rotation of the magazine. In the cut-awayportion there is slidably fitted a drawer or pull-out member 28 havinga] front wall 28 and a back wall 29. In other words, the drawer is ofchannel section and forms part of the annular runway thru which thearticles or packages move as the magazine is revolved. By ti'uning theselecting handle in either direction, the lowern'iost article of anystack may be moved directly into the drawer. The drawer is fitted with apulh out handle 31 and. obviously. by pulling out the drawer thelowermost article of the stack will be accessible so that it may beremoved.

The magazine carries a plurality of radially and iiiiwardly directedpins 33 which also pass thru the drawer as the magazine is revolved,just behind the packages. The drawer carries a. horizontally disposedplate 34 extending from the uppermost part ol' the rear wall of thedrawer rcarwardly into the space provided behind the magazine. Saidplate is provided with a central notch or guideway 36 which increases inwidth toward the drawer. \Vhcn the magazine is moved so that astack ofarticles. visible thru a sight opening 37 in the holder, isapproximately aligned with the drawer, the corresponding pin will beapproximately aligned with the widened end of the said slot. Thus firstoutward movement of the drawer will find the pin riding in the slot andthe margins of the slot will act on the pin to accurately center then'iagazine so that the stack of packages is aligned properly with the d'awer. As the drawer moves further the rear wall thereof will eventuallyabut the lowermost package (see Figure 3) and will move the lowermostpackage forwardly from under the others of the stack. Finally thepackage is moved entirely for ward of the front wall so that thepurchaser may slide it sidewise out of the drmver.

It will be apparent now that the single moving memberwhieh integrallyembodies the drawer will act to eject the selected package as well ascenter the magazine. Another important feature is that the drawer willhold the magazine locked against movement because of the pin being inthe slotted rear extension of the drawer. Until the drawer ismovedpractically back to normal position, it will not again release themagazine.

For a coin controlled machine, means should be provided for locking thedrawer so that it cannot be moved until a coin has been properlydeposited. Thus, it a coin is used to unlock the drawer, said drawercannot be operated to retract another package until said drawer has beenmoved fully back to normal position, whereupon the lock should becomeeffective so that the drawer cannot be again moved until another coin isfed to the machine.

Any one of various well known means may be employed for controlling thedrawer and. in the embodiment illustrated, I employ another rearextension @110 to said drawer, said extension being disposed edgewise.The extension includes a horizontal slot *l-l open at one end as at 42and terminating at the inner end in a notch The front wall of the casingcarries a bracket etet on which pivoted a horizontal latch d5 having ahooked end 46 adapted to engage with the notch to hold the drawerlocked. A rear extension 47 to said latch runs in the slotted end 38 ofa coin chute 49. The coin chute extends up\ 'ardly to a coin slot 4.7 inthe top oi the casing. \Vhen a coin is dropped into said chute it fallson the rear end of the latch, raising the hooked end out oi engagementwith the notch. Now the drawer is tree to he pulled out; the uppermargin 4-8 of the latch riding on the upper margin of the slot all untilthe rear termination of the slot is reached. Then the latch is free tobe further moved by the coin with the result that the coin pressed endof the latch descends far enough to allow the coin 49 to pass out of arear slot 50 provided in the coin chute. When the drawer is pulled out,the horizontal extension of the drawer rides under the package nextabove the package being withdrawn, and renders that packageinaccessible. Said extension also serves to support the weight of thestack until the drawer is moved back to locked position, whereupon theextension moves from under the stack and allows same to fall, thusbringing the next remaining package into the drawer. \Vhen the drawer isreturned to normal position, the magazine may be again revolved freely.

The operation of all the parts, and their co-relation having beenexplained, the operation of the complete machine will be easilyunderstood from the foregoin The glass front 54, provided in the frontcasing Wall, makes the contents of each article holder visible thru therespective sight openings provided inthe article holders. The patron ofthe machine turns the magazine until the selected stack from which hedesires an article is aligned with the drawer. He stops the magazine sothat it is fairly well aligned with the drawer. If too far out ofalignment, he cannot pull the drawer out until he has more accuratelyaligned same. Now a coin is inserted in the chute and the latch israised, releasing the drawer. Then the article lowermost in the selectedstack is removed the purchaser may move the drawer back to closedposition or again he may neglect to do so, but the next patron mustclose the drawer before the machine is operative.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention,I do not limit myself to any specific construction or arrangement ofparts and may alter same as I desire or as occasion requires withoutenlarging the scope of my invention within the appended claims.

What I claim as new and patentable is:

'1. In a selective vending machine, a wall over which articles areslidable in stacks, a pull out drawer forming an outwardly movable partof said wall, a back wall to said drawer adapted to engage and move thelowermost article in a stack, and an extension to said drawer adapted onoutward movement of the drawer to support the articles above the articlebeing moved, a magazine in said casing movable to so move containedstacks of articles, and means whereby outward movement of said extensionand drawer will act to center said magazine, and to lock same againstmovement until the drawer is returned to normal position.

2. In a selective vending machine an annular wall over which articlesare slidable, a pull out portion to said wall, and a revoluble magazinefor collectively moving a plurality of stacks of articles slidablyaround said .a fixed annular wall to bring the outermost article of anyselected stack into contiguity with said pullout portion. I

3. In a selective vending machine, a revoluble magazine, a plurality ofinwardly opening radially arranged article holders, wall immediatelyconcentric of the inner open ends of said holders, and a pull-outportion to said wall.

4. In a selective vending machine, a reV-.

oluble magazine, a plurality of inwardly opening radially arrangedarticle holders, a fixed annular wall immediately concentri of the inneropen ends of said holders, and

.a pull-out portion to said wall, said wall permitting of articlescontained in said iolders to slide thereover, and said magazine beingmovable to dispose any selected one of the article holders immediatelyabove the pull-out portion, and means for locking said magazine when thepull-out portion is in other than normal position.

In testimony whereof I afiix WILLIAM C.

my signature.

CUTLER.

